CBS This Morning

Andrew Young's wife gives emotional testimony

(CBS News) Cheri Young, the wife of former Edwards aide Andrew Young, may compel former presidential candidate John Edwards to take the stand in his own defense in the federal corruption trial now being held in Greensboro, N.C.

Cheri Young broke down Monday in court when she was asked why she went along with a plan to hide the candidate's affair. She said, "I felt like everything had been dumped in my lap. Everybody was on board but me. I didn't want the campaign to explode and for it to be my fault. I ultimately decided to live with a lie."

The 38-year-old former pediatric nurse came off in court as a very sympathetic character, "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty said Tuesday on "CBS This Morning." "To see her on the stand...she looked so haggard. She looks almost anorexic. This has clearly taken a huge toll on her," Moriarty said.

But is her testimony enough to make Edwards defend himself on the stand?

CBS News legal analyst Jack Ford said, "It's a hard call to make, but I would be surprised if he doesn't (take the stand). You're going to need somebody to tell his story, and I just think he's sitting there thinking, 'Nobody in this courtroom is better than I am. ... And if it's my future, you know, I want to get on (the stand).'"

Cheri Young went further than her husband in court by detailing how Edwards helped plan the cover-up and emphasized that it was necessary to preserve his presidential run in 2008 and to keep the affair hidden from his wife, Elizabeth. The afternoon session was cut short Monday when Cheri Young complained of a migraine. She's expected to take the stand again in direct testimony and then face cross-examination.

For more on the case with Moriarty and Ford on "CBS This Morning," watch the video in the player above.